95,837 scam victims suffer losses of RM3.18 billion, says Gobind

KUALA LUMPUR: Approximately 95,837 victims deceived through online scams have suffered losses totaling RM3.18 billion from 2021 until April this year.

According to TV3, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo stated that the reported losses, based on the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), only involve victims who have come forward to file reports.

“That figure only includes victims who have reported. I believe there are still many victims who have not reported, and the actual number may be higher,” he said.

He made this statement after witnessing the signing of an agreement between Axiata Group Bhd, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), and CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) to strengthen the national cybersecurity infrastructure and visiting the Axiata Cyber Fusion Center (ACFC).

According to Gobind, CSM statistics also indicate that cybersecurity cases have increased in the first seven months of this year compared to the same period last year.

“From January to July this year, CSM recorded a total of 3,607 cybersecurity cases compared to 3,327 during the same period last year.

“The highest number of cases recorded were fraud cases at 2,337, followed by malicious code (362), data breaches (312), attempted intrusions (240), intrusions (230), system vulnerabilities (69), spam (46), and denial of service attacks (11),” he said.

Recognizing the growing risks and threats of cyberattacks, he stated that the government is committed to collaborating with all parties to create a safer and more resilient cyber ecosystem, enhancing national security, economic prosperity, and social harmony for the country’s economy and its people.

“I also hope that the recently amended Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) will be enforced by the end of this month to enhance Malaysia’s digital competitiveness by ensuring secure management of personal data in commercial transactions.

“In addition, the ministry also plans to establish a Data Commission by the end of this year to further enhance the country’s data security,” he said.

The public-private partnership between Axiata, MDEC, and CSM sees all three organizations acting as key facilitators to leverage digitalization in Malaysia.